JP5454183B2 - Process planning apparatus, method thereof, and program thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus for planning a process such as traveling of a vehicle, a method thereof, and a program thereof.

  Conventionally, navigation devices for vehicles are known. The navigation device has a function of guiding a route to a destination. The user plans a journey and sets a destination in the navigation device.

  Furthermore, it has been proposed to support destination selection and planning of the journey. Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus that accumulates a user's behavior history and proposes a destination candidate based on the history. Patent Document 2 discloses an apparatus that provides a service based on a history of user behavior. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses an apparatus that proposes an alternative route when a traffic jam that is different from the normal time occurs in a registered route. Further, Patent Document 4 discloses a device that selects and proposes a route that consumes less fuel from a plurality of routes. Patent Document 5 discloses an apparatus for planning a combination of a plurality of use schedules in a vehicle shared use system.

JP 2009-139129 A JP 2007-170898 A JP-A-2005-49114 JP 2002-350152 A JP 2002-140399 A

  The above prior art provides advantages in each aspect. For example, Patent Document 4 automatically selects the most desirable route from a plurality of routes. However, the plurality of routes are set according to the destination set by the user. For this reason, the user still needs to select a destination and plan a journey. Furthermore, it is necessary to evaluate the process plan from some viewpoints such as fuel consumption, required time, and environmental load. For this reason, it was still troublesome for the user to plan the process.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for supporting planning of a combination of a plurality of processes.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method for supporting planning of a combination of a plurality of strokes that are advantageous in some aspects.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method capable of automatically selecting a secondary stroke from a plurality of scheduled strokes, which can be combined with a primary stroke.

  Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method that can automatically select a detouring stroke from a plurality of scheduled strokes, which can be combined with the current stroke.

  In order to achieve the above object, the following technical means can be employed.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the device for planning the travel of the vehicle, the attribute information indicating the user's habits, and the frequency at which the interval between the strokes such as daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly can be indicated. A process database (13) is provided that records a plurality of processes including at least a customary process described by information or attribute information including frequency information that can indicate a specific date or day of the week . Further, the process planning apparatus can be combined with the primary process based on the primary process setting means (16) for setting the primary process combined with the combined process and the attribute information recorded in the process database (13). A secondary stroke setting means (17) for setting a stroke; an evaluation means (18) for evaluating the degree of influence exerted by a combined stroke combining the primary stroke and the secondary stroke; and a primary stroke and a secondary stroke. a combination combined stroke was, Yes, and frequency information and offering means to propose a combined stroke users favorable influence is exerted (19) by the evaluation of the evaluation unit, be performed one stroke It can be considered as an index indicating flexibility that can be interpreted as a possible period, and is used for setting a secondary stroke in the secondary stroke setting means . According to the present invention, a combination process can be proposed based on the user's habits.

In the invention according to claim 2, the attribute information includes at least a minimum departure time, a maximum arrival time, an average departure time, an average arrival time, a travel time, a departure place, a destination, an application, a door operation , and the number of passengers. One is included and used to set the secondary process.

In the third aspect of the invention, the plurality of processes recorded in the process database (13) include a plurality of customary processes, and the primary process setting means (16) is stored in the process database (13). One recorded customary process is set as the primary process, and the secondary process setting means (17) is another customary process recorded in the process database (13) and combined with the primary process. The customary process that can be performed is set as the secondary process.

In the invention described in claim 4 , the plurality of processes recorded in the process database (13) includes a scheduled process indicating the user's schedule, and the primary process setting means (16) The secondary process setting means (17) sets the destination that is easily accepted by the user in the current process based on one process recorded in the process database (13). Set the journey to the ground as a secondary journey.

In the invention according to claim 5 , the secondary process setting means (17) is configured to select a short period of time based on the attribute information recorded in the process database (13) from a plurality of processes recorded in the process database (13). The short-term process to be performed is selected, a destination that is easily accepted by the user in the current process is set based on the attribute information of the short-term process, and the process to the destination is set as the secondary process.

In the invention according to claim 6 , in the method of planning the travel of the vehicle, the attribute information indicating the user's habits, and the frequency at which the interval between the travels such as daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly can be indicated. A plurality of processes including at least a customary process described by information or attribute information including frequency information that can indicate a specific date or day of the week is recorded in the process database (13). Furthermore, the process planning method sets a primary process combined with the combined process (16), and sets a secondary process that can be combined with the primary process based on the attribute information recorded in the process database (13) ( 17) Evaluating the degree of influence exerted by the combined process combining the primary process and the secondary process (18), a combined process combining the primary process and the secondary process , wherein the evaluation process evaluates (19) It is a process planning method that proposes a combined process in which an advantageous influence is exerted , and frequency information is considered as an index indicating flexibility that can be interpreted as a period during which one process can be performed. And is used for setting a secondary stroke in the secondary stroke setting means .

In the invention according to claim 7 , the attribute information includes at least a minimum departure time, a maximum arrival time, an average departure time, an average arrival time, a travel time, a departure place, a destination, an application, a door operation , and the number of passengers. One is included and used to set the secondary process.

In the invention according to claim 8 , in the recording process, a plurality of habitual processes are recorded in the process database (13), and in the process (16) of setting the primary process, one of the processes recorded in the process database (13) is recorded. In the process (17) of setting a customary process as a primary process and setting a secondary process, it is another customary process recorded in the process database (13) and can be combined with the primary process. The target process is set as the secondary process.

In the invention according to claim 9 , in the recording step, a scheduled process indicating the user's schedule is also recorded in the process database (13), and in the process (16) of setting the primary process, the current process is set as the primary process. The step (17) of setting the secondary process sets a destination that is easily accepted by the user in the current process based on one process recorded in the process database (13). Set the stroke as a secondary stroke.

In the invention according to claim 10 , the step (17) of setting the secondary stroke is based on attribute information recorded in the stroke database (13) from a plurality of strokes recorded in the stroke database (13). Select a short-term trip to be performed in a short period, set a destination that is easily accepted by the user in the current trip based on the short-term trip attribute information, and set the trip to the destination as a secondary trip To do.

The invention described in claim 11 is a program that causes a computer to execute the method.

  In addition, the code | symbol in the parenthesis as described in a claim and said each means shows the correspondence with the specific means as described in embodiment mentioned later as one aspect.

It is a block diagram which shows the operation management system which concerns on embodiment to which this invention is applied. It is a block diagram which shows the functional block configuration of an operation management system. It is a list which shows the contents of a stroke database. It is the top view of the map which illustrated the content of the process database. It is the graph which illustrated the contents of the stroke database. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a process of an operation management system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a guidance module. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process for guiding the combination of a custom process. It is a graph which shows two strokes which cannot be combined. It is a graph which shows two strokes that can be combined. It is the graph which showed two round trips which can be combined on the time-axis. It is the graph which showed the combination process on the time axis. It is a top view of the map which shows two round trips which can be combined of FIG. It is the top view which showed the combination process of FIG. 12 on the map. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process for guiding a detour. It is the graph which showed the present process on the time axis. It is the graph which showed the assumption present process on the time axis. It is the graph which showed on the time-axis the assumed present process and the process which can be combined. It is a top view of the map which shows an example of the proposal of a detour.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described. This embodiment is an operation management system for managing the operation of a vehicle. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an operation management system according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied.

  The operation management system 1 includes a navigation device 2, a terminal computer 3, a server computer 4, and a network 5. The navigation device 2 is mounted on a vehicle. The navigation device 2 calculates the route to the destination set by the user and displays it on the display in the vehicle in order to perform route guidance. The terminal computer 3 is, for example, a computer installed in the user's home. The network 5 functions as a communication device that enables communication among the navigation device 2, the terminal computer 3, and the server computer 4. The navigation device 2 and the terminal computer 3 function as user interface devices of the operation management system 1. The operation management device 1 is further recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, installed in at least one of the navigation device 2, the terminal computer 3, and the server computer 4, and when executed, the navigation device 2 and the terminal computer 3. And a program product that causes at least one of the server computers 4 to perform the function of the combined stroke planning apparatus or execute the combined stroke planning method. In other words, the program product causes at least one of the navigation device 2, the terminal computer 3, and the server computer 4 to function as modules and / or steps described later.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional block configuration of the operation management system 1. The process combination search engine module 11 includes a priority setting module 12 and at least one of a custom process combination guide module 100 and a detour guide module 200. The customary course combination guidance module 100 suggests to the user a combined journey combining a plurality of customary journeys. The detour guide module 200 suggests to the user a process that can be combined with the current process. The priority setting module 12 can be operated by the user. The priority setting module 12 sets an index for evaluating or arranging the combination process. As the index, any aspect related to the operation of the vehicle can be used. For example, the amount of environmentally hazardous substances discharged, operation cost, operation time, operation distance, and the like can be used as indices. This indicator can also be called the user's main interest. The module 11 guides the combination process based at least on the information stored in the process database 13, the information acquired from the navigation module 21, and the information acquired from the POI (Point Of Interest) database 25.

  The stroke database 13 records attribute information regarding a plurality of strokes. The plurality of processes include a customary process and a scheduled process. A habitual process is a process that a vehicle or user has taken in the past. It is a process performed with habits such as daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly. Therefore, the habitual process reflects and shows the user's habits. The scheduled process is a scheduled process that has not yet been completed. The process database 13 includes a habitual process database 14 and a scheduled process database 15.

  The navigation module 21 is mainly provided by the navigation device 2. The navigation module 21 performs route calculation and route guidance based on information acquired from peripheral devices such as the information communication module 22, the map database 23, the position measurement module 24, and the POI database 25. The information communication module 22 provides road information indicating a traffic jam through communication with the road information center. The map database 23 provides map data. The position measurement module 24 measures the position of the vehicle. The position measurement module 24 can be provided by a navigation satellite positioning system. The position measurement module 24 provides information indicating the position, date, and time. The POI database 25 provides information regarding the location. For example, it provides information such as the name of a building at a specific position and usage.

  The system 1 can include a process extraction module 31 as an optional configuration. The process extraction module 31 automatically collects information on the process based on the operation history of the vehicle and registers it in the process database 13. For example, when the vehicle is operated from a home to a specific office building on a weekday from Monday to Friday, the journey information collecting module 31 records a customary course for commuting purposes.

  The system 1 has an interface 41 with a user. The interface 41 is provided by the terminal computer 3. For example, the interface 41 is connected to the system 1 via the network 5, for example, via the web. The interface 41 displays the combination process provided from the custom combination guide module 100 to the user. The interface 41 may display a combination process provided from the detour guide module 200. Further, the interface 41 acquires information on whether or not the combination process has been accepted by the user. In response to this acquired information, the navigation module 21 performs route guidance based on the accepted combination process. Further, the interface 41 allows the user to operate the stroke database 13. For example, the user can perform database operations such as registration of a new habitual process, correction of information regarding the process, and registration of a scheduled process via the interface 41.

  The system 1 further includes an in-vehicle interface 42 mounted on the vehicle. The in-vehicle interface 42 is provided by the navigation device 2. The in-vehicle interface 42 displays the combination process provided from the detour guide module 200 to the user. A combination process provided from the customary process combination guide module 100 may be displayed on the in-vehicle interface 42. Further, the in-vehicle interface 42 acquires information on whether or not the combination process has been accepted by the user. In response to this acquired information, the navigation module 21 performs route guidance based on the accepted combination process. The in-vehicle interface 42 allows the user to operate the stroke database 13. For example, the user can perform database operations such as registration of a new habitual process, correction of information regarding the process, and registration of a scheduled process via the in-vehicle interface 42.

  FIG. 3 is a list showing the contents of the stroke database 13. The process database 13 can record a plurality of records corresponding to the process. Each record can include a plurality of attribute information. For example, the attributes can include time information, destination, usage, frequency, flexibility, door operation, number of passengers, and the like. The time information can include a minimum departure time, a maximum arrival time, an average departure time, an average arrival time, a journey time, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view of a map illustrating the contents of the stroke database 13. As shown in the figure, one journey is a one-way stop from a specific departure point to a specific destination without a stop.

  FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the contents of the stroke database 13. Each process has a minimum departure time and a maximum arrival time as information indicating both ends of the process. The time between the minimum departure time and the maximum arrival time indicates the flexibility of the process. Furthermore, each journey has an average departure time and an average arrival time. The time between the average departure time and the average arrival time indicates the travel time.

  Flexibility can be interpreted as a period during which one stroke can be performed. For example, the commute is very inflexible because the user must always leave at the same time and arrive at the same time. On the other hand, the shopping process to the supermarket is highly flexible in that the user can go to other times on the weekend. In order to express such a difference, a journey is described not only by normal information such as its normal journey time, departure time, and arrival time, but also by its minimum departure time and maximum arrival time.

  The frequency information can indicate intervals between similar strokes, such as daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly. Also, the frequency information can indicate a specific date, day of the week, or time. The frequency information can be considered as an index indicating the flexibility of the process. For example, the process of going to the supermarket on Saturday and the process of going to the supermarket on Thursday night can be recorded in one record using frequency information. In this case, “Saturday or Thursday night” is recorded in the frequency information. This frequency information can be interpreted and utilized as an indication that this journey has a certain flexibility on weekends or nights. Alternatively, the journey to the supermarket on Saturday and the journey to the supermarket on Thursday night may be recorded as two different records. These data structures allow the system to determine the flexibility of the process as flexibly as possible.

  The usage information indicates the reason for the process. For example, it can be information such as shopping or a sports center. However, the usage information should be chosen so that it can be linked to the POI database 25 to allow searching for similar places. The usage of the process can be automatically extracted from the POI database 25 using the stop point. For example, when the vehicle stops at a supermarket parking lot, the system 1 can infer that the use of the journey is shopping. Other vehicle information can also be used for such inference. For example, some applications have a strong connection with some specific information. Stop time, trunk or rear door opening, number of passengers before and after stopping. However, the system 1 is configured so that the user can always input correct information from the interfaces 41, 42.

  Information for describing these processes can be automatically collected and stored by the process information collecting module 31. Specifically, the departure time, arrival time, and travel time can be obtained from the operation history of the vehicle. In addition, information for describing the process may be input by the user via the interfaces 41 and 42. The operation management system 1 can include at least one of automatic process information extraction means and manual process information input means by a user.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process flow of the operation management system 1. The operation management system 1 can include a collection step 51 and a suggestion step 52. Furthermore, the system 1 can include a confirmation step 53 as an optional configuration. In the collecting step 51, the system 1 collects information of a plurality of processes. For example, information on a plurality of strokes between a plurality of points appearing on the map 61 is collected. In the collecting step 51, the collected information is registered in the process database 13. The collecting step 51 can also be realized by the user inputting a plurality of predetermined steps. In the suggestion step 52, the system 1 creates a combination process and proposes the created combination process to the user. The combination process is created by the customary process combination guide module 100 or the detour guide module 200. In the suggestion step 52, the system 1 also performs route guidance by the navigation device 2 when the user accepts the proposed combination process. In a confirmation step 53, the system 1 performs a post-inspection of the result of the combination process by presenting to the user data indicating the difference between before and after actually traveling the combination process. For example, when the user selects the CO2 emission amount as an index, the CO2 emission amount in a period including before and after receiving the proposal of the combination process is displayed. Data of indices such as CO2 emission amount, cost, and distance of travel can be obtained by using the route calculation algorithm of the navigation device 2.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing elements common to the customary course combination guide module 100 and the detour guide module 200. The guidance modules 100 and 200 may include a primary process setting module 16, a secondary process setting module 17, an evaluation module 18, and a proposal module 19. The primary process setting module 16 sets a primary process for creating a combined process. In the customary process combination guide module 100, one of the customary processes is selected as the primary process. In the detour guide module 200, the current process is selected as the primary process. The primary process can be one process that satisfies a predetermined condition among a plurality of processes registered in the process database 13. Alternatively, the primary process may be set by the user. The secondary stroke setting module 17 sets a secondary stroke that can be combined with the primary stroke. The secondary process can be one process that satisfies a predetermined condition among a plurality of processes registered in the process database 13. The secondary stroke is selected as a stroke that can be combined with the primary stroke. The secondary process can be selected as a process that does not require a large change in the time and purpose of both the primary process and the secondary process when the primary process and the secondary process are combined as a combined process. The secondary stroke can be selected as a stroke that can be performed continuously from the primary stroke. The secondary stroke can be selected so that the other can be performed within the flexibility of either the primary stroke or the secondary stroke. The secondary process can be selected as a process having an attribute that does not interfere with the attributes of the primary process. For example, it is desirable to avoid a combination of two processes having the same purpose attribute. Furthermore, it is desirable that the stroke that exerts an advantageous influence by being combined with the primary stroke is the secondary stroke. The evaluation module 18 evaluates the degree of influence of the combination process obtained by combining the primary process and the secondary process. The combination process may produce an adverse influence or an advantageous influence. Combinatorial processes that produce adverse effects can be ignored. The proposal module 19 proposes a combined process combining the primary process and the secondary process to the user via the interfaces 41 and 42. Proposal module 19 can be configured to propose only those combined strokes that produce an advantageous influence. For example, it is possible to configure so as not to propose a combination process that produces a negative influence degree, but to propose only a combination process that produces a positive advantageous influence degree.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for guiding a combination of habits. This custom process combination process provides part of the suggestion step 52. In this process, at least two strokes included in the user's schedule are known by the system 1. Specifically, the process database 13 uses the user's habitual processes and their flexibility. The system 1 considers whether the user's habits can be changed to obtain better efficiency. This process can be performed at any time. For example, at home, the interface 41 can be used to use a website constructed for this purpose.

  The system 1 searches a list of habitual journeys and selects a plurality of journeys with similar destinations and departure points and overlapping flexibility. If the minimum departure time of a journey is ahead of the maximum arrival time by more than a predetermined threshold time, a combination with another journey is considered. Recalculation of journey time and route is used to analyze the possibility of such a combination with respect to the flexibility of the journey in question. Then, a suggestion of the combination process is presented to the user, for example through the interface 41, by showing efficacy according to the user's main interests such as CO2 emissions, cost, time. For example, System 1 can combine a habitual process to the supermarket and a habitual process to the workplace, and to reduce the CO2 emissions, instead of Saturday morning to Friday weekly supermarket access A combination process in which shopping processes are arranged can be proposed.

In FIG. 8, the process can begin at any time. In step 101, system 1 retrieves a set of two round trips that can be combined by comparing the two customary round trips. This process is also called a 2 × 2 custom process comparison process. In the following description, the process considered in the system 1 is expressed by, for example, T1 by the symbol T and a number.
In step 101, the system 1 selects a set of two round-trip strokes as candidates from the habitual stroke database 14. One habitual process is selected as the primary process and the other is selected as the secondary process. Then, the system 1 determines whether or not a set of reciprocating strokes can be combined. If the return path of the primary stroke T1 and the forward path of the secondary stroke satisfy a predetermined condition, the strokes T1 and T2 are handled as a pair that can be combined. More specifically, the system 1 considers the following conditions: (Condition 1) Whether the starting point of T2 is the same as the destination of T1. (Condition 2) Whether the destination of T2 is different from the departure place of T1. (Condition 3) Whether the flexibility of T2 overlaps with the flexibility of T1.

  FIG. 9 is a graph showing two processes T1 and T2 that cannot be combined. FIG. 10 is a graph showing two processes T1 and T2 that can be combined. The flexibility of the two strokes T1, T2 is evaluated and determined based on the overlap of the two strokes. In the case illustrated in FIG. 9, the process T1 and the process T2 cannot be combined because the two processes T1 and T2 do not overlap. Conversely, the two strokes can be combined if the intersection of the two times is not zero. In the case illustrated in FIG. 10, the process T1 and the process T2 have an overlap, and can be combined in one process.

  Returning to FIG. 8, when the above three conditions are true, a combination of these two steps T1 and T2 is considered. The combination creates a journey called Connected Trip T3 with the following characteristics: (Feature 1) Start of T3 = Start of T1. (Feature 2) T3 destination = T2 destination. (Feature 3) Minimum departure time of T3 = Minimum departure time of T1. (Feature 4) Maximum arrival time of T3 = Maximum arrival time of T2. (Feature 5) T3 frequency = the lowest frequency between the frequency of T1 and the frequency of T2.

  FIG. 11 is a graph showing two reciprocating strokes that can be combined on the time axis. FIG. 12 is a graph showing the combination process on the time axis. The first stroke T1 has an outward path T11 and a return path T12. The second stroke T2 has an outward path T21 and a return path T22. In the example of FIG. 11, the above condition 1, condition 2 and condition 3 are satisfied. As shown in FIG. 12, a connecting step T3 is created instead of the step T12 and the step T21. Therefore, the combination process created in step 101 has an outbound path T11, a connecting process T3, and a return path T22.

  Returning to FIG. 8, in step 101, the system 1 can be configured to avoid a combination of two strokes having the same or similar attributes. For example, the system 1 can ignore a set of two habitual round trips that fall into the same application, such as shopping. When the usage of the habitual process is required to execute the proposal process, not only the usage information but also the estimated usage can be used. When the usage information is unknown, the usage of the habitual process can be estimated based on other attribute information. For example, the customary journey described by “every afternoon, trunk” and “trunk is opened” can be presumed to be a shopping trip. In this case, the operation information of the vehicle can be taken into consideration in the proposal process of the combination process.

  In step 102, the system 1 evaluates the impact of the combination process according to the user's main interest by performing a new route calculation in the navigation module 21. The degree of influence can also be called efficacy or benefit. The system 1 performs the processing of steps 101 and 102 for all of the stroke sets. In step 103, the system 1 edits the proposal list including all of the combination processes created in step 101. The proposal list can be arranged in ascending order according to the degree of influence calculated in step 102.

  In step 104, the system 1 proposes a combination process to the user by displaying the proposal list and the influence degree. In step 104, the combined process may be proposed only if the combined process exhibits sufficient impact compatible with the flexibility of the two combined reciprocal processes. In step 105, the system 1 monitors input from the user to determine whether the user has accepted the proposal. If the user accepts the proposed combination process at step 104, then at step 106, the system 1 records the combination process as a scheduled process. As a result, the navigation module 21 can execute route guidance to the combination process accepted by the user.

  FIG. 13 is a plan view of a map showing two round trips that can be combined in FIG. FIG. 14 is a plan view showing the combination process of FIG. 12 on a map. 13 and 14 merely show an example of the habitual process combination process. The figure shows that the customary journey database 14 stores at least a customary round trip to a supermarket having customary journeys T11 and T12 and a customary round trip to an office having customary journeys T21 and T22. Is shown. In this case, the system 1 proposes a combined process including the forward process T11, the connecting process T3, and the return process T22. The system 1 can display the image shown in FIG. The system 1 presents to the user the proposed combination process T11-T3-T22 and the degree of influence 71 produced by the combination process T11-T3-T22. For example, the influence degree 71 can be displayed as a reduction ratio of the CO2 emission amount.

  According to the habitual process combination proposing module 100 described above, the habitual process is set as the primary process in the primary process setting module 16. Further, the customary process is also set as the secondary process in the secondary process setting module 17. As a result, a combination process reflecting the user's habits can be proposed.

  According to the habit process combination proposal module 100 described above, a combination process, for example, a combination of two habit processes can be automatically proposed. As a result, it is possible to support planning by a user on a side road that is advantageous from some aspect. Moreover, it is possible to propose a journey that meets the needs of the user as a detour. Users are freed from the hassle of planning a combination of multiple habitual processes.

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a flow of processing for guiding a detour. FIG. 16 is a graph showing the current stroke T1 on the time axis. FIG. 17 is a graph showing the assumed current process T1 on the time axis. FIG. 18 is a graph showing the assumed current process T1 and the process T2 that can be combined on the time axis.

  This detour proposal process provides part of the proposal step 52. In this process, at least one process included in the user's schedule is known by the system 1. Specifically, the process database 13 uses the user's habitual process, the scheduled process, and their flexibility. This process is provided in real time while the vehicle is driving. Regardless of whether or not the destination of the current journey is known, the system 1 searches for a combined journey opportunity based on the habitual journey and the scheduled journey. In other words, the process provides an opportunity on the path to additional journeys. For example, if the user is expected to visit a supermarket in a short period of time according to a customary process, the system 1 can inform nearby supermarkets while driving. In this process, the current process determined in step 201 is a primary process. The stroke extracted in step 206 is a secondary stroke.

  In FIG. 15, the process can be started at any time during operation of the vehicle. To enable detour guidance, the process is configured to seek solutions to the following problems: (Question 1) How flexible is the current journey? (Problem 2) What additional steps are acceptable for users? (Problem 3) What are the interesting combination process opportunities near the current location or route? .

  In order to derive a solution for Problem 1, the system 1 identifies the current journey in step 201 and obtains information indicating the flexibility of the current journey. When the vehicle starts operation, the system 1 searches for a destination and a route that the user will use. In step 202, the system 1 determines whether or not a destination is set for the navigation device 2. The user can input the destination to the navigation device 2 by manual operation. When the user sets a destination in the navigation device 2 and selects a route, the current process can be easily specified by acquiring data from the navigation device 2 in step 203.

  If the user starts driving the vehicle without setting the destination, the system 1 estimates the destination in step 204. The system 1 attempts to contrast the habitual process in the habitual process database 14 with the current state such as date and time. The system 1 accesses the habitual journey database 14 to look for habitual journeys performed on the same day and time as the current journey. When one habitual process is matched with the current date and time, the system 1 obtains the destination and route of the current process from the information of the habitual process. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the system 1 estimates that the user is performing a habitual process T1. Accordingly, if the current process matches the habitual process, the flexibility information can be obtained from the habitual process database 14. If the maximum arrival time of the habitual journey exceeds a predetermined threshold time, compared to the current time and expected journey time, the current journey is evaluated as flexible. If none of the customary journeys match the current day of the week and time, the system 1 does not estimate the destination, but just searches for nearby combined journey opportunities.

  If none of the customary schedules fit, flexibility can be estimated using the current day of the week and time. The system 1 can use a default rule that sets whether the target process is treated as flexible or not flexible with respect to the combination. For example, system 1 can consider the current day of the week and time to perform this estimation. The default rule is preferably configured so that it can be manipulated and modified by the user. For example, it may be desirable for the user to be able to manipulate the default rule settings to change the flexibility rules to several levels. The default rule level is set to, for example, "My process is always flexible" or "My process is never treated as flexible on weekdays from Monday to Friday" can do.

  If none of the customary journeys fits, the flexibility of the current journey can be calculated based on the next customary journey located next in time. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 17, even if no habitual process is adapted to the current time, the system 1 estimates the next habitual process T1 as the current process. In this case, the flexibility of the current process can be obtained as the time until the minimum departure time of the next customary process T1.

  Returning to FIG. 15, in step 205, the system 1 determines whether the current process has sufficient flexibility to be large enough to consider the combination process. If the flexibility is not great enough, the process avoids subsequent steps and ends. If the flexibility is sufficiently large, processing proceeds to step 206.

  To obtain a solution to Problem 2, in step 206, system 1 searches both habitual process database 14 and scheduled process database 15 to find a secondary process suitable for combination with the current process. . For example, a stroke that would be easily accepted by the user even during the current stroke is suitable as a secondary stroke. Specifically, a process with a short process time is likely to be accepted. In addition, short-term trips that the user will perform in a short period of time are likely to be acceptable. In this embodiment, the system 1 determines the short-term needs of the user and further determines a short-term process that meets this short-term needs.

  In step 207, in order to find a secondary process that meets the short-term needs, the system 1 searches the customary process database 14 to find a customary process that is flexible enough for the current process. For example, in the case of FIG. 18, the habitual process T2 is an excellent candidate in that it has a high flexibility with respect to the current process T1 and a short process time. The customary stroke T2 is treated as a secondary stroke. In this case, a habitual process is currently performed. Then, the system 1 records the destination of the secondary process as the specific destination of the possible combination process in the short-term process list.

  If the application is also known, the system 1 records the secondary process application in the short-term process list as a possible combination process application. For example, if the secondary journey is a habitual journey, which indicates that the user goes to a specific supermarket every weekend, the name of that specific supermarket is recorded as a specific destination, and shopping is used as an application. To be recorded. The name of the supermarket allows the system 1 to consider the journey to that particular destination as a journey to be combined. The application of shopping allows the system 1 to consider a journey to the same application as a journey to be combined. This process is advantageous for creating multiple combination strokes that are readily accepted by the user. For example, if a user visits a supermarket once a week, but 8 days have passed since the last visit, the user can expect to visit the supermarket immediately. Thus, to meet the user's needs, the system 1 considers two combined strokes, the usual trip to a specific supermarket and the trip to a similar supermarket found near the current trip.

  In step 207, the system 1 also searches the scheduled journey database 15 to find a secondary journey that meets the short-term needs. Short-term needs are also identified using the user's scheduled journey. The scheduled process is input from the user by manual operation via the interface 41. The scheduled process may be input from an appropriate website, for example. The scheduled process can be expressed in a format such as “go to planned location”. Here, the “planned place” can be expressed by a detailed position or a generalized purpose. For example, “visit a specific place”, “go to a gardening store”, “go to a restaurant”, “go to see the latest James Bond movie”. The usage representation and definition is compatible with the search engine capabilities of the POI database 25.

  To obtain a solution to Problem 2, the system 1 performs the following steps: Here, the system 1 can use a short-term process list in which short-term processes are recorded together with explanatory information such as specific destinations and / or uses. In step 208, it is determined whether or not the short-term journeys listed in the short-term journey list are described only with specific destinations. If the short-term trip is described only with a specific destination, the system 1 avoids step 209 because the user may wish to go to the specific destination. If the short-term journey is described by use only, or is described by both specific destination and use, the system 1 proceeds to step 209.

  In step 209, the system 1 searches for alternative points that can create a journey that can be combined with the current journey. In step 209, the system 1 uses the search engine of the POI database 25 in order to acquire a point on the periphery or route that satisfies the purpose. In step 209, alternative destinations are obtained that meet the short-term needs of the user indicated by the journey identified in step 207. For example, at a compatible time, a destination such as “gardening store” or “movie theater showing the latest James Bond movie” can be acquired. Thus, step 209 functions as a module that obtains an alternative journey to an alternative destination that can be evaluated as being compatible with the short journey destination.

  Step 206 is performed for all possible combinable short-term strokes. At the end of step 206, if the short-term trip is described only with a specific destination, the system 1 has acquired a secondary trip to that specific destination. If the short-term journey is described by application only, the system 1 has acquired a secondary journey to an alternative destination that exists in the area around the current journey or in the on-route area. If a short-term trip is described in both a specific destination and a short-term trip, the system 1 will acquire both a secondary trip to that specific destination and a secondary trip to an alternative destination. Yes.

  In steps 210 to 213, the system 1 performs the same processing as described in steps 102 to 105. In step 214, the system 1 performs a reroute calculation to reset the route to the combination process accepted by the user in step 213, and starts route guidance to the combination route. For example, the navigation device 2 displays a route from the current position on the route of the current journey to the destination of the secondary trip according to the map image.

  FIG. 19 is a plan view of a map showing an example of a detour proposal. In the illustrated case, the system 1 obtains a short-term trip from the trip database 13 to a customary destination such as a supermarket or a planned destination. The system 1 obtains an alternative destination from the POI database 25. This alternative destination has the same attributes, such as uses, that describe the short-term journey. The system 1 calculates a route from the current position on the current journey to the alternative destination, and displays the calculated route to suggest a detour to the alternative destination. The system 1 may selectively display the degree of influence 71 indicating the CO2 reduction amount and the like.

  According to the detour guide module 200 described above, the primary process setting module 16 sets the current process as the primary process. Further, the secondary process setting module 17 sets the customary process or scheduled process recorded in the process database 13 or the process to the alternative destination created from the customary process or the planned process as the secondary process. As a result, a combination process reflecting the user's habits and / or schedule can be proposed.

According to the detour guide module 200 described above, it is possible to automatically propose a combined process, for example, a detour from the current process. As a result, it is possible to support planning by a user on a side road that is advantageous from some aspect. Moreover, it is possible to propose a journey that meets the needs of the user as a detour. In particular, since the process that meets the short-term needs is determined as a detour, it is easy for the user to accept even during the current process.
(Other embodiments)
(OTHER finished)
In the embodiment described above, the attribute information such as the maximum arrival time that defines the process is a fixed value. Instead of this, the attribute information may be a variable value and may be adjusted according to the surrounding situation related to the operation of the vehicle. For example, the process time and the maximum arrival time can be set according to the situation. Further, the current situation or the future situation expected at the date and time when the vehicle is scheduled to be used can be used. Moreover, traffic information, weather information, etc. can be used as a situation. In this case, the system 1 acquires a current road information from the information communication module 22, and a module that corrects the stroke time and the maximum arrival time of the primary stroke T1 and / or the secondary stroke T2 based on the road information. Can be provided. In this configuration, the primary stroke setting module 16 and the secondary stroke setting module 17 plan a combined stroke based on the corrected primary stroke T1 and / or the corrected secondary stroke T2. According to this configuration, a combination process can be proposed in consideration of the surrounding situation.

  The habitual journey combination suggestion module 100 is configured to combine two habitual journeys, but the module 100 may be configured to combine a habitual journey and a scheduled journey, or two scheduled journeys.

  In the above embodiment, a combined process is created by combining two processes, but three or more processes may be combined to create a more effective combined process.

  The components and modules of the above embodiments can be provided by software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

  Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings, many substitutions or modifications obvious to those skilled in the art are possible. Such substitutions or modifications should be included in the technical scope of the present invention defined by the claims.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Operation management system 2 Navigation apparatus 3 Terminal computer 4 Server computer 5 Network 11 Process combination search engine module 12 Priority setting module 13 Process database 14 Habitual process database 15 Scheduled process database 100 Habitual process combination guidance module 200 Detour guide module

Claims (11)

In an apparatus for planning the travel of a vehicle,
Attribute information indicating user's habits, including frequency information that can indicate intervals between steps such as daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or attribute information that includes frequency information that can indicate a specific date or day of the week A process database (13) recording a plurality of processes including at least the customary processes described;
Primary stroke setting means (16) for setting a primary stroke to be combined with the combination stroke;
A secondary stroke setting means (17) for setting a secondary stroke that can be combined with the primary stroke based on the attribute information recorded in the stroke database (13);
An evaluation means (18) for evaluating the degree of influence exerted by a combination process combining the primary process and the secondary process;
A combination process that combines and the secondary stroke and the primary stroke, the combination step of favorable influence is exerted possess a proposed means for proposed user (19) by evaluation of said evaluating means,
The frequency information can be considered as an index indicating flexibility that can be interpreted as a period during which one stroke can be performed, and is used for setting the secondary stroke in the secondary stroke setting means , The process plan device to do. The attribute information includes at least one of minimum departure time, maximum arrival time, average departure time, average arrival time, journey time, departure place, destination, use, door operation , and number of passengers, The stroke planning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stroke planning device is used for setting a secondary stroke. The plurality of processes recorded in the process database (13) include a plurality of customary processes,
The primary process setting means (16) sets one customary process recorded in the process database (13) as the primary process,
The secondary process setting means (17) is another customary process recorded in the process database (13), which can be combined with the primary process as the secondary process. 3. The process planning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the process planning apparatus is set. The plurality of processes recorded in the process database (13) includes a schedule process indicating a user's schedule,
The primary stroke setting means (16) sets the current stroke as the primary stroke,
The secondary process setting means (17) sets a destination that is easily accepted by a user in the current process based on the one process recorded in the process database (13), and enters the destination. stroke planning device according to claim 1 or 2 stroke and sets as the secondary stroke. The secondary process setting means (17) is a short-term process performed in a short period of time based on attribute information recorded in the process database (13) from a plurality of processes recorded in the process database (13). Selecting a journey, setting a destination that is easily accepted by a user in the current journey based on attribute information of the short-term journey, and setting a journey to the destination as the secondary journey, The process planning device according to claim 4 . In a method for planning the travel of a vehicle,
Attribute information indicating user's habits, including frequency information that can indicate intervals between steps such as daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or attribute information that includes frequency information that can indicate a specific date or day of the week A plurality of processes including at least the described customary processes are recorded in the process database (13);
Set the primary process to be combined with the combination process (16),
Based on the attribute information recorded in the stroke database (13), a secondary stroke that can be combined with the primary stroke is set (17),
Evaluating the degree of influence exerted by the combined process combining the primary process and the secondary process (18),
(19) A process planning method for proposing to a user a combined process in which the primary process and the secondary process are combined, and a combined process in which an advantageous degree of influence is exerted by the evaluation of the evaluation process .
The frequency information can be considered as an index indicating flexibility that can be interpreted as a period during which one stroke can be performed, and is used for setting the secondary stroke in the secondary stroke setting means , How to plan your trip. The attribute information includes at least one of minimum departure time, maximum arrival time, average departure time, average arrival time, journey time, departure place, destination, use, door operation , and number of passengers, The stroke planning method according to claim 6 , wherein the stroke planning method is used for setting a secondary stroke. In the recording step, a plurality of habitual processes are recorded in the process database (13),
In the step (16) of setting the primary process, one customary process recorded in the process database (13) is set as the primary process,
In the step (17) of setting the secondary process, another customary process recorded in the process database (13), which can be combined with the primary process, is added to the secondary process. It sets as a process, The process planning method of Claim 6 or 7 characterized by the above-mentioned. In the recording step, a schedule process indicating a user's schedule is also recorded in the process database (13),
In the step (16) of setting the primary stroke, the current stroke is set as the primary stroke,
The step (17) of setting the secondary process sets a destination that is easily accepted by a user in the current process based on the one process recorded in the process database (13). 8. The process planning method according to claim 6 , wherein a process to the ground is set as the secondary process. The step (17) of setting the secondary stroke is performed in a short period of time based on attribute information recorded in the stroke database (13) from a plurality of strokes recorded in the stroke database (13). Selecting a short-term process to be performed, setting a destination that is easily accepted by a user in the current process based on the attribute information of the short-term process, and setting a process to the destination as the secondary process. The process planning method according to claim 9 , wherein: A program for causing a computer to execute the process according to any one of claims 6 to 10 .

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